A United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, making the first public allegation of its kind by a UN body. The report asserts Israel’s actions meet key criteria for genocide and assigns responsibility to senior Israeli leaders, while Israel rejects the findings as “distorted and false.”

Findings And Legal Basis

The commission says Israel has committed four of the five acts defined by the Genocide Convention: killing Palestinians or subjecting them to inhumane living conditions leading to death; causing serious bodily or mental harm; deliberately imposing conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction; and imposing measures intended to prevent births. The report links the last point to an Israeli strike on Gaza’s Al-Basma IVF clinic that destroyed thousands of embryos and reproductive samples.

Accountability And Named Officials

Commission chair Navi Pillay states that “responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with the Israeli authorities at the highest echelons.” The report concludes that President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have incited the commission of genocide, with the commission indicating it is examining further evidence regarding other individuals.

Arms Transfers And International Repercussions

The commission urges states to halt weapons supplies to Israel, asserting a “legal obligation” to act to “stop the genocide in Gaza.” The International Association of Genocide Scholars separately voted to determine that Israel’s actions meet the Genocide Convention’s definition—adding academic pressure alongside legal scrutiny.